Why Yellowstone Unexpectedly Killed Off Colby in 'Simple' but 'Shocking' Way

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the latest episode Yellowstone season 5B.

No one is really safe at the Dutton Ranch anymore.

On Sunday, December 1, the episode of the series YellowstoneColby (Denim Richards) was the last member of the Dutton family circle to lose his life. The tragedy happened in the simplest of ways, leaving fans truly shocked.

“The thing that I think is so poignant about Colby’s death is that in a season where there are all these twists and turns and dark forces and huge narrative sweeps, Colby’s death is so powerful because it’s so simple,” Christina Voros, who directed the episode, narrated The Hollywood Reporter.

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Calling it “gut-ripping” and a “freak accident,” Voros said the death — which involved Colby being trampled by a horse while helping Carter (Finn Little), an inexperienced cowboy — was representative of the real “risks” of being a cowboy.

“It’s a dangerous job, and things like this happen in a fraction of a second. This death is a shock because it’s so simple and so rooted in the world that all these characters work in that it’s deeply tragic,” she said.

Understandably, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) took Colby’s death hard, even remarking that “it’s a dangerous job and one day they’re going to kill me.” Given Rip’s ominous comments, Voros said “it’s a natural instinct to wonder if everything someone says could be a hint.”

“Kayce says goodbye to Monica [Kelsey Asbille] could be a sign. Beth saying goodbye to Rip could be an omen. That’s where one’s brain goes when you have a shocking sudden loss after several sudden losses, and I think it’s easy to understand.”

Jen Landon as Teeter and Denim Richards as Colby in ‘Yellowstone’.

Cam McLeod/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Richards, who has played a ranch hand since Season 1 of the show, also said that how “simple” his character’s death was affected how shocking it was to the audience.

“I think this death is something where you realize that life is very fragile,” said the 36-year-old actor THR. “And still, it brings a little more foundation, or more foundation, to what’s already going on. Sometimes the stakes are so high in a show that you can get lost in how high they are.”

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In a separate interview with Entertainment WeeklyRichards said he “found out what I was thinking maybe a day before they sent me the scripts.”

“I was actually coming back from Texas and I got the call that this was going to happen. So this had to be back in May,” he explained.

“I feel like this season, [creator] Taylor [Sheridan] actually emphasizes the reality of cowboy life. We have a saying that everyone will fall off a horse at some point in their life. It doesn’t matter if, only when and how bad. It’s not a phenomenon,” he continued. “These things happen, so I think there’s that element where I think it’s a real desire to emphasize that this is a reality.”

“It’s a little poetic because in season three, Colby gets stepped on by a horse a few times in the river. And so maybe the ancestors of those horses came back for revenge. But more than anything, it was as pure as you can possibly make death,” he added.

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Richards shared a photo of his chair from the set on Instagram after Sunday’s episode aired, writing in the caption, “Thankful🙏🏾✊🏾🙏🏾,” and fans filled the comments section with love for his performance.

Several of his co-stars also shared the love, including Jen Landon, who played Colby’s love interest, Teeter, for three seasons.

“You are more loved, my dear friend and actor,” she wrote. “So many hearts were broken tonight. 💔💔💔.”

Ryan Bingham as Walker, Forrie Smith as Lloyd, Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler, Kevin Costner as John Dutton, Jefferson White as Jimmy Hurdstrom, Denim Richards as Colby, Luke Peckinpah as Fred Myers in the first season of ‘Yellowstone’.

Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Colby’s death in the fourth episode of Season 5B follows two other major deaths. The long-awaited final episodes began with the revelation that John Dutton had died, which was a shock to fans, but also somewhat expected given that Kevin Costner confirmed his departure from the role when filming began in the spring.

His death was somewhat avenged in episode 3, as Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) was killed after it was confirmed that she planned John’s death – and got people to stage it to look like a suicide.

It wasn’t a creative decision that Costner, 69, seemed very happy about, saying that after hearing it was a suicide, he wasn’t in a “rush to go see it” on SiriusXM Program by Michael Smerconish.

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New episodes Yellowstone premieres Sundays at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the Paramount Network.

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Source: HIS Education